Police continue to probe the shooting death of Tim Metzger, manager of the Big Kahuna Rum Shack, who was killed Wednesday evening as he returned to his home, according to the Virgin Islands Police Department.
The officers have not yet determined a motive for the crime, according to VIPD Public Inormation Officer Melody Rames.
According to police reports, officers notified by 911 emergency dispatchers arrived on the scene at the Palm Garden apartments minutes before 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and found Metzger. Preliminary investigation indicated he had been in the apartment complex parking lot when he was shot by an unknown suspect or suspects.
Police delayed releasing the name of the victim until his family, none of whom live in the territory, could be notified. But because Metzger was a well known figure on St. Thomas, the community was abuzz with the news almost instantly, and a makeshift memorial was reported outside the Big Kahuna, in downtown Charlotte Amalie.
Whether he may have interrupted a burglary in progress is not yet known, although speculation has run rampant in the days since the shooting.
"The investigation is still looking into exactly what happened," Rames said.
Metzger’s death was the fourth homicide on St. Thomas since the begnning of the year, the fifth in th territory.